Friday's Ask the Experts: Carpet/Floor Care

Friday''s Ask the Experts question from a cleaning professional on the International Custodial Advisors Network (ICAN) "Ask the Experts" page: One of my clients changed the carpet in his 5,000 sq. ft. call center, but chose a very light colored carpet tile. Before the winter began, he asked me to move two runners (about 5x30 each) from vinyl floor hallways and put them on the entry carpet. They were installed with double sided construction tape so they would not move! After winter, I was asked to remove the runners, but the tape left its adhesive all over the carpet, and now the light colored carpet looks like a chessboard. It''s all black strips now, and the more people walk on top of it, the worse it is. How do I remove that adhesive from the carpet?

The answer:

You will need a citrus gel solvent spotter from your carpet cleaning supply store. A pint bottle with a polytop cap speeds the application process. Apply liberally and distribute with a slight agitation for total coverage. Allow it to set for the required time. Using a plastic or nylon scraper, begin heavy agitation, but don''t...